Datawind continues to rule India's Tablet market: CyberMedia Research

NEW DELHI: According to the recently released CyberMedia Research (CMR) India Quarterly Tablet PC Market Review, 3Q’ CY 2016, about 0.97 million Tablet PCs were sold (shipped) in India, recording a rise of about 2% when compared sequentially.

However, the report also indicates that as against the same quarter of CY 2015, the tablet segment witnessed about 40% slide. Datawind continues to retain the top slot with about 33% market share in 3Q’ CY 2016, followed by Samsung at 16%. The festive season, coupled with new launches, helped iBall to beat Pantel (BSNL) and gain the third position, holding 13% market share during the period.

As per the report, in the 4G segment, the market witnessed about 45% growth in 3Q’ CY 2016. Lenovo took to the first position with about 39% market share, while Samsung and iBall held 30% and 17%, market shares, respectively. Meanwhile, the Wi-Fi enabled devices fell to around 20%.

Commenting on the tablet market, Krishna Mukherjee, Analyst at CMR, said, “The tablets market is static with the rules of the game almost unchanged. In terms of shipments, the trend has been the same for domestic and global brands; they are maintaining a status quo for quite long time. But with the changing times, the stereotype should be broken and the Indian brands should also look for making B-to-C purchases, along with scouting for opportunities available in the government sector. Simultaneously, the global brands should resort to inking government deals, with continued focus on enterprises and at consumer level.”

Amit Sharma, Analyst, CMR, “Among all the technology segments, 4G witnessed maximum traction in the third quarter, and the fourth-generation services could be instrumental in providing content-first strategy. Content could be a magic bullet for infusing growth in the, otherwise, stagnant tablet market, especially through sectors such as education and healthcare. Content-related strategies will help in imparting education in a proper manner to country’s hinterlands too.”

“The tablet players should explore adopting content network strategy, replicating something which LeEco is doing in the Indian handset market. The tablet vendors should try to build the ecosystem of content, services and platform and forge deals with various content providers in the country. Targeting specific sector with respect to content could prove advantageous. For example, in healthcare, medical content coupled with medical videos for the practitioners could be very helpful,” Sharma added.

The tablet industry may see the survival of the fittest in the next couple of years, with only 6-7 serious players remaining in the sector. We are likely to see more exists from the market as handset manufacturers such as Intex, Lava gradually make their presence felt and channelize upon their existing distribution features. In the past 3-4 years, about 40 players have exited the market, indicating stiff competition from the smartphones makers and as these handset players flex muscles, many incumbent tablet players need to think out-of-the-box or exit the market. However, with state elections slated for next year, the tablet market may witness an upswing with a handful of government deals. As 4G becomes the buzzword, the demand for the fourth-generation tablets is bound to rise, predicts the report.